Cowley becomes first community college in the state to participate in SARA initiative

The Kansas Board of Regents recently approved Cowley College’s application for membership in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). With the approval, Cowley College becomes the first community college in the state of Kansas to receive membership in SARA.

Cowley joins Wichita State University and the University of Kansas as the only schools in the state to be approved to participate in SARA.

“I am so pleased but not surprised to have Cowley College participate in M-SARA as one of our first Kansas institutions,” said Jennifer Parks , Midwestern State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (M-SARA) director. “The staff at Cowley has always been so diligent in their state authorization efforts and has kept a close eye on the progress of SARA, communicating with me all along the way. What a great addition Kansas and its institutions make to the national SARA network.”

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) establishes a state-level reciprocity process that supports national efforts to increase the educational attainment by making state authorization of postsecondary institutions more efficient, effective, and uniform in regard to necessary and reasonable standards of practice across states; more effective in dealing with quality and integrity issues; and less costly for states and institutions and, thereby, the students they serve. It is intended to make it easier for students to take online courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state.

Stephani Johns-Hines, Cowley College associate vice president for Mulvane and online operations, along with Paula Phelps, online learning coordinator, were instrumental in the college’s application. “This is a great milestone for the Cowley College Online and we are proud to be at the start of what we know will be a growing number of institutions gaining approval in Kansas,” Johns-Hines said.